Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 04:22:40 -0500
From: Darrell Todd Maurina
Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service
Subject: NR 99014: Classis Eastern US Asked to Seek Improved URC Pension,
Insurance, Church Work, Ecumenical Matters
NR #1999-014: Classis Eastern United States Asked to Seek Improvements
in URC Pension, Insurance, Church Work, Ecumenical Matters
Most of the overtures to Classis Eastern United States' March 24
meeting address structural and interchurch matters. The classis'
southernmost church, Trinity Reformed Church of Cape Coral, Florida,
asks classis to overture synod to appoint a five-member study committee
to "explore the question of how our federation of churches can properly,
most effectively, and most efficiently do the work of building and
extending the church of Jesus Christ cooperatively." "Presently the URC
consists of a loose assortment of churches functionally disconnected
except for classical and synodical meetings," wrote the Florida church.
"There is good reason to ask whether our very young federation has as
yet set up the most effective and efficient means of assisting the
churches in building and extending the church of Jesus Christ."
Preakness Valley URC of Wayne, New Jersey, shared a similar concern for
effective church work and may take the classical record for most
overtures submitted in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of church
work. The church asked classis to overture the URC synod to address
structural matters having to do with tax exempt status, hospitalization
insurance, and pensions, and also asked the classis to begin ecumenical
contacts with other Reformed denominations that have a local presence.
NR #1999-014: For Immediate Release:
Classis Eastern United States Asked to Seek Improvements in URC Pension,
Insurance, Church Work, Ecumenical Matters
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
United Reformed News Service
(February 11, 1999) URNS - Most of the overtures to Classis Eastern
United States' March 24 meeting address structural and interchurch
matters. The classis' southernmost church, Trinity Reformed Church of
Cape Coral, Florida, asks classis to overture synod to appoint a
five-member study committee to "explore the question of how our
federation of churches can properly, most effectively, and most
efficiently do the work of building and extending the church of Jesus
Christ cooperatively."
"Presently the URC consists of a loose assortment of churches
functionally disconnected except for classical and synodical meetings,"
wrote the Florida church. "There is good reason to ask whether our very
young federation has as yet set up the most effective and efficient
means of assisting the churches in building and extending the church of
Jesus Christ."
However, the Florida church noted that "the work of the church
must be conducted primarily by the local church and under the authority
and the local church" and cautioned that "two dangers must be avoided:
the danger of erecting a top-heavy, centralized church bureaucracy, and
the danger of undue fear that anything done by the federation will
inevitably lead to such a bureaucracy."
Preakness Valley URC of Wayne, New Jersey, shared a similar
concern for effective church work and may take the classical record for
most overtures submitted in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of
church work. The church asked classis to overture the URC synod to
address four structural matters, and also asked the classis to begin
ecumenical contacts with other Reformed denominations that have a local
presence.
The first overture asks synod to advise "all member United
States congregations to consider making application to the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) for recognition of tax-exempt status," citing as
grounds the IRS regulations on tax benefits of recognized tax-exempt
status, the fact that the previous group exemption held by the Christian
Reformed Church is no longer applicable to URC churches, and that "the
URCNA lacks sufficient government hierarchical structure to qualify for
obtaining group exemption of its own."
Three related overtures ask the URC synod to appoint study
committees to "explore the feasibility of establishing a pension plan
for the benefit of URCNA pastors and other full-time employees," to
"explore the feasibility of establishing a hospitalization plan for the
benefit of URCNA United States pastors, elders, deacons and any other
full-time employees," and to "advise the hospitalization plan study
committee to consider in its initial exploration the feasibility of
establishing such a plan under the administration of the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church's Health and Welfare Trust."
In two related overtures, Preakness Valley URC overtured the
classis to instruct its clerk "to extend formal invitations to fraternal
delegates of neighboring Reformed denominations regarding future
meetings of this classis," citing a church order article encouraging
churches and classes "to pursue ecumenical relations with Reformed
congregations outside of the federation which manifest the marks of the
true church and demonstrate faithful allegiance to Scripture as
summarized in the Three Forms of Unity." The church asked classis to
include in those invitations federations identified by the most recent
URC synod "who have member churches in this general area," citing as
examples the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in
America, Protestant Reformed Churches, Free Reformed Churches, Reformed
Presbyterian Church of North America, and Associate Reformed
Presbyterian Church.
A final matter submitted by Preakness Valley URC will be a
possible special meeting on June 29 to examine Paul Lindemulder, a
member of the church currently attending Westminster Theological
Seminary in California who expects to graduate in May and is seeking
ministerial candidacy in the United Reformed Churches.
Cross-References to Related Articles:
#1998-131: Classis Eastern US Marks Slow United Reformed Growth
Contact List:
Rev. Robert DeVries, Stated Clerk, Classis Eastern United States
PO Box 393, Georges Mills, NH 03751
H/O: (603) 763-4695
Rev. Ed Korevaar, Pastor, Preakness (NJ) United Reformed Church
480 Valley Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470
O: (973) 628-1313 * E-mail: adrian.j.k.@juno.com
Rev. Allen Vander Pol, Pastor, Trinity Reformed Church of Cape Coral
2220 SE Hancock Bridge Pkwy., Cape Coral, FL 33990
H: (941) 574-1421 * O: (941) 574-5360
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